Acclaimed author Sir Salman Rushdie is preparing to release his first work of fiction in nearly three years, following the life-altering stabbing that left him blind in one eye in 2022. The new collection, titled The Eleventh Hour, is set to be published on November 4 by Vintage, a division of Penguin Random House.
This marks Rushdie’s first novel since the August 2022 attack, in which he was stabbed multiple times on stage by Hadi Matar, who was later convicted of attempted murder and assault. The release date of The Eleventh Hour comes more than three years after the attack, which significantly impacted Rushdie’s health, including the loss of vision in one eye, liver damage, and nerve paralysis in one hand.
The Eleventh Hour comprises three novellas set in India, England, and the United States, exploring a range of themes, including mortality, personal tragedy, and the complexities of life in these diverse regions. According to Penguin Random House, one of the stories features “two quarrelsome old men in Chennai, India, who face personal loss against a backdrop of national crisis.” Another story revisits the Bombay neighborhood made famous in Rushdie’s Booker Prize-winning Midnight’s Children, featuring a “magical musician” and his unhappy marriage to a multibillionaire.
In a statement, Rushdie revealed that the book’s three novellas were written over the past year and reflect his ongoing reflections on the world around him, particularly themes such as anger, peace, and the cities that have shaped his life—Bombay, Cambridge, and the broader landscapes of England and America. The work also touches on the influences of famous artists and writers, including Goya, Kafka, and Bosch.
The announcement of The Eleventh Hour comes a year after Rushdie released Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder, a personal account of the brutal stabbing incident. In the memoir, Rushdie described how he initially thought he had been punched before realizing he had been stabbed. Matar, the 27-year-old assailant, was found guilty in February of attempted murder and assault, and faces more than 30 years in prison.
Rushdie, 77, was previously forced into hiding after the 1988 publication of The Satanic Verses, a novel inspired by the life of the Prophet Muhammad, which prompted death threats and a fatwa issued by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini. The fatwa, which offered a $3 million reward for Rushdie’s execution, sparked global controversy and led to the book being banned in several countries.
Rushdie’s literary career spans 16 novels, including the celebrated Midnight’s Children. Despite the challenges he has faced, including decades of threats and the recent stabbing, his work continues to captivate readers worldwide.
